董总主席叶新田博士在“2014甲午年春节团拜媒体之夜”的讲词

日期:2014年1月24日(星期五)
时间:晚上7时30分
地点:八打灵再也水晶皇冠酒店皇冠厅
(Crown Hall, Crystal Crown Hotel, Petaling Jaya)


尊敬的各新闻媒体代表和记者,
中国驻马来西亚大使馆领事参赞林动先生,
各源流教育团体代表,
董总全体同仁,
大家好!


首先,我们非常感谢和欢迎各位,莅临出席今天的媒体之夜。

为了迎接农历甲午年春节,董总将于2月9日上午10时30分,在加影董教总教育中心,主办第四届的春节团拜。

配合上述春节团拜的举行,以及为了促进与新闻媒体的友好联系,董总诚邀各语文新闻媒体的代表和记者,出席今天的媒体之夜。

乘此深具意义的聚会,董总也邀请到各源流教育团体代表出席,与新闻媒体共聚一堂,加强联系,互相鼓励和交流,为推动母语教育和各源流学校的发展而努力。

各位,
各语文新闻媒体与各源流学校有着唇齿相依的密切关系。为数不少的各源流学校毕业生,投身于新闻媒体事业,在报馆、电视台、电台和网络媒体等服务。

与此同时,各媒体和新闻工作者都为母语教育和文化事业的传承与发展,奉献力量,关心人民面对的问题,并作出许多报道和评论,启迪民智。

我们希望,各新闻媒体继续扮演有利于母语教育和文化事业的角色,发挥积极作用。

各位,
我国是一个多元民族、多元文化、多种语文和多种源流学校的国家,是一个非常幸运和美丽的国家。因此,人民应充分认识到,这些多元社会本质,是国家的瑰宝,是国家繁荣进步和国民团结的基础,造福国家和全体各族人民。多元团结(unity through diversity)和公平合理的政策,才能促进真正的国民团结。

事实上,各源流学校是国家的宝贵资产和优势。母语教育、语文和文化的生存与发展,对每一个民族来说都是非常重要的,是各族人民的权益。

董总强调,维护和争取母语教育权益,是天经地义的,是合情合理合法的。各源流母语教育在本地扎根和发展,已近200年之久。与此同时,在联合国、教科文组织和各项相关国际会议发表的决议、公约或宣言,都阐明母语教育是一项人权。

因此,无论是在国家宪法、法令、制度、政策和执行措施,都应明确保障和积极支持各民族母语教育、语文和文化的生存与发展。

各位,
新年伊始,华小师资短缺问题又再次发生,报章对此作出了许多报道。我们认为,教育部应对症下药,从政策和制度等方面,根本地全面解决华小40多年来面对的师资短缺问题。

另一方面,目前已有2700个各族团体和将近70万人,签名支持董总发动的签名运动,以反对《2013-2025年教育大蓝图》内不利于母语教育生存与发展的政策和措施。接下来,董总展开第二阶段签名运动,继续联合各源流教育团体,到各地区取更多热爱母语教育的各族人民的支持,使联署团体数目超越3000个或更多,以及联署群众至少达到100万人。我们将把相关资料翻译成多种语文,发给各语文新闻媒体。因此,希望各语文媒体重视和给予支持,多报道董总和有关各源流教育团体的信息及签名运动的进展。

我谨代表董总,对各新闻媒体支持和爱护母语教育所作出的努力和贡献,致以崇高的敬意。希望大家与董总能更加密切地互相支援和配合。

祝愿大家新年进步,万事如意。谢谢。

 

 


 

Speech by Dong Zong Chairman, Dr. Yap Sin Tian at the Chinese New Year Media Night 2014

Date: 24 January 2014 (Friday)
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: Crown Hall, Crystal Crown Hotel, Petaling Jaya.



A very good evening to the representatives and journalists from the various news media;
The Consular Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia, Mr. Lin Dong;
Representatives of educational bodies from various streams; and,
My fellow colleagues from Dong Zong.

First of all, I would like to thank you for attending and welcome all of you to the Media Night this evening.

In ushering in the Chinese New Year, Dong Zong will be holding our fourth Chinese New Year Celebration on 9 February, 10.30 am at the Dong Jiao Zong Higher Learning Centre in Kajang.

In conjunction with this Chinese New Year Celebration, and to foster friendly relationships with the news media, Dong Zong has cordially invited representatives and journalists from news media of various language streams to the Media Night this evening.

This deeply meaningful gathering is a good opportunity for Dong Zong to also invite the representatives of educational bodies from various school streams to gather here and mingle with members of the news media, to strengthen their mutual contact and allow them to encourage and share views and experiences with each other in the effort to promote the development of mother-tongue education and various school streams.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The news media and schools of various language streams have an extremely close and mutually dependent relationship with one another. A large number of graduates from the various school streams have joined the news media profession, working in various areas such as in newspaper offices, television stations, radio broadcasting stations and the internet media.


Meanwhile, the various news media and members of the journalistic profession have also contributed to the continuation and development of mother-tongue education and culture by expressing concern in issues faced by the people and reporting and commenting on them, and by doing so enlightening and educating the people.

It is our hope that the various news media will continue to play a role that is favourable to mother-tongue education and culture, and to make active use of their role as such.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Malaysia is a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country with multiple streams of  schools. Our country is a very fortunate and beautiful country.

As such, the people should fully learn that such a pluralistic social foundation is a national treasure or asset, a foundation for the prosperity, progress and unity of the country, and a benefit to the country and its people of all ethnic groups. It is only through “Unity through Diversity” and fair and reasonable policies that the real unity of the people can be promoted.

In fact, the various school streams are a valuable asset and advantage for the country.  The survival and development of mother-tongue education, language and culture is crucial to the people of every ethnic group, and is also their fundamental right.

Dong Zong wishes to stress that the preservation of and fight for the right to mother-tongue education is a totally righteous, justifiable, reasonable and legitimate act.

The mother-tongue education of various streams have taken root and developed in Malaysia for almost 200 years.

Furthermore, the resolutions, treaties and declarations made by the United Nations, UNESCO and in various relevant international conferences have specified that the right to mother-tongue education is a human right.

Therefore, regardless of whether it is the National Constitution, legislations, systems, policies or measures for implementation, they should all clearly safeguard and support the survival and development of mother-tongue education, language and culture of each ethnic group.


Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the beginning of the year, the issue of shortage of teachers in Chinese Primary Schools has again occurred, and has been reported many times by the press.

It is our view that the Ministry of Education should tackle the issue at its core, and resolve fundamentally the issue of shortage of teachers, which has been plaguing Chinese Primary Schools for the last 40 years, from the aspects of policies and systems.

On the other hand, 2700 bodies from various ethnic groups and close to 700,000 people have thus far provided their signatures in support of the petition movement started by Dong Zong in protest of the policies and measures unfavourable to the survival and development of mother-tongue education in the 2013-2025 Malaysia Education Blueprint.

Following this, Dong Zong will be launching the second phase of the petition movement, to continue to rally together the educational bodies of various school streams and gather support from more people from various ethnic groups and places who are passionate about mother-tongue education, so as to achieve at least 3000 bodies and 1 million individuals signing on to the petition.

The relevant materials will be translated into various languages and sent to the news media of various language streams.

As such, we hope that the press of various language streams will attach importance to such issues and provide their support by reporting more on Dong Zong and on information related to the educational bodies of various school streams and the progress of the petition movement.

On behalf of Dong Zong, I would like to express our deepest respect for the various news media for your efforts and contribution in supporting and caring for mother-tongue education.

I hope that all of you will assist and co-ordinate mutually with Dong Zong more closely in the future.

On a final note, I wish everyone great progress and good luck in this New Year. Thank you.